Brazil

Brazil

Brazil is the largest producer of coffee in the world, providing nearly 1/3 of global supply. Its coffees support a wide range of market needs from institutional to specialty roasters. At one time, the industry was heavily regulated with a focus on price competitiveness rather than quality. Based on a quota system, producers mixed high and low-quality beans to reach the quotas. This formed many negative opinions on Brazilian coffee that still linger today. However since deregulation in the 1990’s, there has been a renewed focus on quality and some exceptional coffees are being produced in the country. Eighty percent of the coffee produced is Coffea Arabica and most of the specialty coffee is of the bourbon variety and dry processed. As the largest producing country that is subject to frost risk, the impact of frost to diminish yield in Brazil can and have significantly impacted world prices for coffee. The majority of specialty coffee produced in Brazil is between 2,000 and 4,000 feet in elevation. The three main growing regions are in the state of Bahia in the northeast, along the southern and eastern borders of Minas Gerais, Sao Paolo, Espirito Santo and Rio di Janiero and within Sao Paolo and Parana in the south.